Given by Geoffrey C. Fox at RCI Annual Members Executive Conference on October 31,95. Foils prepared October 30,95
Abstract * Foil Index for this file
See also color IMAGE
We describe the implications of the Web for Industry and Education |
WebWindows is the basic Web Operating Environment |
Java, PERL, VRML, HTML are critical technologies but we can also make better uses of current well established technologies such as relational databases |
We use WebFoil as an example to illustrate the Web approach to (WebTop) Productivity software with open modular design |
WebWork is HPCC (Parallel Computing) built using Web Technologies -- a viable supportable base |
The opportunities include both the delivery of education from K-12 to Continuing education as well as teaching of these new exciting technologies |
This table of Contents
Abstract
RCI Executive Conference |
October 30 - November 1,1995 |
Geoffrey Fox |
NPAC at Syracuse University |
111 College Place |
Syracuse NY 13244-4100 |
We describe the implications of the Web for Industry and Education |
WebWindows is the basic Web Operating Environment |
Java, PERL, VRML, HTML are critical technologies but we can also make better uses of current well established technologies such as relational databases |
We use WebFoil as an example to illustrate the Web approach to (WebTop) Productivity software with open modular design |
WebWork is HPCC (Parallel Computing) built using Web Technologies -- a viable supportable base |
The opportunities include both the delivery of education from K-12 to Continuing education as well as teaching of these new exciting technologies |
It provides a pervasive and highly innovative technology base
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Note Intel Teraflop computer will have 9000 P6's but WWW will have at least one thousand times as many possible nodes varying (eventually) from supercomputers to settop boxes |
WWW is important as it allows rich (world wide linkage of simulation and information capabilities) open and portable environment |
Each of three components (network connections, clients, servers) has capital value of order $10 to $100 Billion |
In future one will NOT write software for either
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Rather one will write software for WebWindows defined as the operating environment for World Wide Web |
WebWindows builds on top of Web Servers and Web Client open interfaces as in
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Applications written for WebWindows will be portable to all computers running Web Servers or Clients
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Application Specific NII Specific Services for
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From foilset WebTools (Spring '95) |
Associated Foil can be found |
Postscript also Available |
Persuasion and Powerpoint are rather similar monolithic packages which can for instance only be clumsily ported to UNIX as cannot access internal data-structures defining foils |
WebFoil (NPAC prototype WebWindows presentation package) has |
Extended open HTML source manipulated by powerful PERL5 scripts allowing global changes and linkages of foils from many sources
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WebFoil Uses Hotjava to display HTML with full Web Power including applets to enable Multimedia and dynamic presentations |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
The WebTop Productivity environment will be built in a more modular fashion than current PC Windows or Macintosh arena
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Java is key to understanding how WebWindows application/service software will look as it allows balanced client server applications to be built |
Note require an open display software so can produce appropriate customized interfaces for browsing, presenting, word processing etc. |
Java may or may not be accepted by Web Community and Sun/Netscape may or may not allow it to used openly |
However the concept is essential and roughly right -- one or more such open technologies will become available and used on the Web |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
Latest results prepared for HPDC95 Tutorial August 1,1995 |
For instance as part of my New York State Industrial HPCC outreach program InfoMall, I found that a major manufacturer of large consumer machines had no interest in MPP's for simulating them to improve design |
However very interested in
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Here Perl manipulates text from database to HTML |
Java enables down-loaded simulations |
VRML enables universal definition of 3D objects -- products and buildings |
VRML illustrates how one can store real world objects in a universal fashion |
Game vendors can build modules that interact and enable development of amazing profitable virtual worlds! |
Manufacturers can use VRML as basis of universal product definitions enabling collaborations between several vendors needed for Multidisciplinary analysis and design cf: PDES/STEP standards |
The Web "levels" the playing field for all software products
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For instance VRML allows new powerful versions of Geographical Information Systems |
Using San Diego VRML Viewer Webview |
Little Neck Bay in Northern Long Island (altitude exaggerated by factor 7) |
We can use Web technologies to develop new very important tools for education enabling
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We can teach these new technologies as world hungry for people understanding these technologies
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A NYNEX Joint Venture |
This shows fiber draping Africa with coast off ramps |
World Wide Web basics : HTTP,MIME, servers,clients |
PERL4 and object-oriented features in PERL5(to be finished) |
Wavelet and Other Compression Technologies |
Collaboration Technologies from MBONE to CLI |
ATM Networks with comparison with ISDN and traditional LAN |
Parallel Relational Databases and Web Integration |
Thread based Communication Environments |
Video servers and network management for good quality |
Parallel Web Servers (to be finished) |
Advanced Web Technologies -- agents, VRML, Java (to be finished) |
Web allows one to harness standard relational databases for powerful search of structured information -- Usenet databases, Electronic Mail, Manufacturing Data etc. |
Parallel Computing is quite well understood but we can NOT implement capabilities we researched as field too small to support viable systems software industry
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The Web allows one to implement HPCC in terms of a sustainable industry base
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Oracle 7 Interface to Usenet-Prepared October 27,1995 |
Associated material may be found starting at Oracle-Web Interface to Usenet and other Services |
Oracle 7 Interface to Usenet-Prepared October 27,1995 |
Associated material may be found starting at Oracle-Web Interface to Usenet and other Services |
One of the neatest ideas is WebFlow which is the Web implementation of dataflow which is seen in
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With Web we can integrate computing and information processing giving a wonderful software engineering environment with for instance
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In the longer term, we can see parallel concepts of
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WebWork is an open, world-wide distributed computing environment based on computationally extended Web Technologies |
The backend computation and information infrastructure is provided by the World-Wide Virtual Machine -- a mesh of computationally extended Web Servers (called Compute Servers) |
These servers manage (via CGI mechanisms) a collection of standardized computational units called WebWork Modules. |
Geographically distributed and Web-published WebWork modules interact by HTTP/MIME based message/object passing and form distributed computing surfaces called Compute-Webs |
The front-end user/client interfaces are provided by evolving Web browsers with increasing support for two-way interactivity (e.g. Java, VRML) that facilitates client side control and authoring. |
A natural user-level metaphor -- WebFlow -- is supported in terms of visual interactive compute-web authoring tools. |
Implements the "Viable Base" Enterprise Model of HPCC Software identified in Pasadena2 workshop |
This will allow good programming tools to be developed and mnaintained as larger enough base to support software industry |
Implements a powerful software engineering framework for parallel computing by integrating parallel programming with the World Wide Web Productivity Tools |
This is both Grand Challenges augmented by National Challenges but also |
Build HPCC technologies on a broad not niche base starting at bottom not top of computing pyramid |
HyPerl World page, generated automatically by the WebTools CASE package, and integrating documentation with the source. |
More generally, we call by HySource the hypertext documentation with navigable source code included. |
Function calls and external variable references are 'blue' and point to the corresponding HySource pages. |
Early prototype of AVS or Khoros like visual compute-web editor. |
Two interactive modes are supported:
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In mode a), each click in the active editor window places a new module box there. |
In mode b), each click on module port generates links with all other modules. |
A front-end for the software project manager tool. |
Three types of modules are supported:
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Developer modules are linked to the agent module and report automatically all changes in the software volume (handled by WebTools CASE toolkit integrated with WebTools editor). |
The agent module integrates the results and uses customizable threshold to decide when to fire a report to the manager or a deadline reminder to a developer. |
Illustrates 3 base layers of WebWork architecture and all main system components. |
A 4--node compute-web is represented
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Java/HotJava model is used for WebFlow front-end implementation |
The paper describing this project is available at SCCS715 in NPAC technical report series |